"Petra... how did you feel about last night?"
Petra's hand trembled slightly as she lifted the coffee cup to her lips. She raised her eyes to Rafah, trying to search for whatever meaning might be hidden behind that unreadable expression.
That question...
Was Rafah asking because she cared, or was she only checking for feedback on her own performance?
Just thinking about it made Petra feel strangely hurt, especially when she thought of how cold Rafah had seemed this morning. Before she knew it, Petra had already put up a wall.
"Why are you asking, Khun Rafah?"
Rafah went still.
Normally, no one dared to answer her question with another question like that.
"Why are you asking me that?"
Her voice came out harsher than she had intended. But the moment she saw the wavering look in Petra's eyes, the sharpness in Rafah's gaze softened at once. She let out a quiet sigh before looking deep into Petra's eyes.
"I'm asking because I genuinely want to know how you feel." Rafah's voice softened enough for Petra to hear the change. "You know me, don't you? When I do something, I mean it."
Petra fell silent, as if she were still trying to process those words.
"Are you saying... you're serious about me, Khun Rafah?"
Rafah held Petra's gaze, steady and unflinching, before answering with quiet conviction.
"I'm serious about everything when it comes to you."
Rafah's words left Petra silent for a long moment. Slowly, she set her coffee cup down. She drew a deep breath into her lungs to gather her courage, then decided to answer Rafah's question with all her feelings on the line.
"If I'm being honest... I'm not okay with what happened between us last night."
The moment the words left her mouth, the air around them turned cold.
Petra's answer struck Rafah like a hard slap across the face.
That beautiful, dignified face remained tense and still, like a sculpture. But the confidence that had filled Rafah's eyes faltered. Pain flashed through them for only a fraction of a second before it was quickly buried beneath coldness, the final layer of armor Rafah always reached for whenever she realized she was about to face disappointment.
Rafah drew in a deep breath and forced her voice back under control, like a businesswoman who knew she had to walk away from a failed deal.
"Okay... I understand."
Rafah gave a thin smile.
A bitter smile meant for herself.
Deep down, she had let her hopes climb far too high. She had thought the outcome would be positive, because Petra had seemed happy last night.
But in the end, it had turned out just like before. Just like the day Rafah had asked Petra to be her girlfriend and been rejected.
Or maybe...
Maybe she had been the only one who thought they were sexually compatible. For Petra, perhaps it had only been an "experiment," a tour through the world of BDSM, a new world she had never touched before.
And once it was over, it was simply over.
"If I made you feel bad last night... then I'm sorry."
Rafah shifted, preparing to stand. Her mind ordered her to get away from the truth in front of her as quickly as possible, before her own heart could hurt any more than this.
"When the golf cart comes to pick us up, we'll fly back to Bangkok right away. Then I'll have Anya drive you back to..."
"Wait, Khun Rafah!"
Before Rafah could even finish the sentence, Petra's voice cut in. She lunged forward and grabbed Rafah's hand tightly, holding her there, refusing to let her walk away.
"Let me finish, Khun Rafah... When I said I wasn't okay, I meant I wouldn't be okay with us keeping this up, sleeping together like last night without knowing what we are to each other."
Rafah froze.
Her entire body went rigid for a moment. Slowly, she turned back to look at Petra, as if she could hardly believe what she had just heard.
"This is how I was raised, Khun Rafah. For me, sex comes with feelings."
Petra looked deep into Rafah's eyes.
"If all you want is a one-night thing, then I have to say I'm not okay with going any further. Because I..." Petra's voice trembled slightly, trailing off under the weight of all the feelings rising inside her.
"...because I'm afraid of getting hurt."
She reached out and touched the back of Rafah's hand, hoping Rafah would understand what she couldn't quite put into words.
"But if you can make me believe that you're truly serious about me, then my answer will change."
Rafah didn't answer right away. She lowered her eyes to Petra's hand, still holding hers, then gently squeezed it back.
Rafah shifted back a little.
Then she lowered herself to her knees in front of Petra.
"Kh-Khun Rafah! What are you doing!?"
Rafah lifted her face and met Petra's eyes. Her long, silky black hair fell over her shoulders as she looked up at Petra. The gaze of an arrogant predator had vanished, leaving only the eyes of someone who had surrendered completely to her own heart.
The woman who had once been called heartless now felt as if all the power she had ever held in her hands was being taken from her by the ordinary woman in front of her.
And the most shocking part was that she was willing to give it all away.
"In my whole life, I've never bowed my head and begged anyone. I never thought I could ever give in to someone this much... but with you, I can give in to anything."
Rafah looked deep into Petra's eyes.
Then she said the most important words of that moment.
"Be my girlfriend, Petra. Let me take care of you as the only woman in my life."
...
After that incident, the moment Petra said yes, Rafah threw the plan to return to Bangkok out the window without the slightest regret. She immediately called the staff on the island and told them there was no need to pick them up anymore, because she and Petra had decided to stay at the staff house for another three days.
At first, Petra thought Rafah was only teasing her in that mischievous way of hers. But it turned out Rafah meant every word. She called Anya, her trusted assistant, and ordered her to clear her entire work schedule in Bangkok. Then Rafah planted herself here with Petra, claiming it was a "vacation."
Even if someone were looking down from Mars, Petra would still be able to tell that it was nothing but an excuse from someone completely smitten with her new girlfriend, someone who simply wanted to find a reason to stay close to her lover a little longer.
Fortunately, Rafah was still responsible enough to stop by the wildlife rehabilitation center from time to time to check on the work. And during those days, Petra experienced Rafah's version of romance for the first time.
Every morning, Rafah would wake her up so they could sit together and watch the sunrise. During the day, they spent their time side by side, helping care for the wild animals inside the rehabilitation center.
The newest animal recently brought in was an owl, a Himalayan wood owl, which was a protected species in Thailand. The poor bird had been shot in the wing by a cruel poacher and was badly injured. It needed surgery and at least three months of recovery.
Rafah gave Petra the honor of naming the bird. Petra spent a while thinking about it before deciding to call it "Khanom Jeeb," to match "Dim Sum," the scruffy stray cat she had once taken in and left in her mother's care upcountry.
Helping Rafah here allowed Petra to learn far more about wildlife in Thailand than she ever had from working on small documentaries or short news pieces. Some stories were fascinating. Others left her with questions.
If anyone asked Petra which story left her feeling the most depressed, it would have to be the fate of the tigers sacrificed to the outdated belief in elixirs of life. A deeply rooted misconception claimed that tigers made powerful longevity medicine simply because they were strong and agile. That belief was enough to make certain wealthy people willing to pay as much as one million baht per tiger, turning ordinary villagers into executioners.
But unarmed villagers could not fight large predators directly. So the easiest and most vicious method was used instead: poison placed inside the carcasses of prey such as deer and wild boar.
The final moments of many tigers ended in excruciating agony, their lives sacrificed to the superstition of humans desperate to become immortal through another creature's dying breath.
Rafah once told Petra that the work she did now was like a coin with two sides. One side was the pride of helping keep many wild animals alive.
But the other side...
It was the pain of having to accept the truth that as long as she was still standing here, illegal wildlife hunting had never truly disappeared.
Those words allowed Petra to see the person beneath the mask Rafah had built. Deep down, Rafah was not a cruel person. She had only created armor to protect herself. In truth, she was gentle in her own way.
But Rafah was still Rafah.
Gentle and kind only during the day.
Because once night fell, Rafah became "Rafah" again, beautiful and elegant like an angel, yet addicted to control whenever sex was involved.
After they officially became a couple, Rafah and Petra began opening up to each other more, especially about the sexual dynamic they needed to explore and adjust together. Petra stepped fully into the world of BDSM as the one who willingly allowed herself to be controlled, while Rafah became the one who held absolute power in bed.
Although Petra accepted that role willingly, she had clear boundaries.
She agreed to let Rafah give orders. She agreed to let Rafah control her. She agreed to let Rafah bind her body however she wanted, whether it was tying her wrists, tying her ankles, or even blindfolding her.
But all of that...
Petra had drawn the line clearly.
She did not consent to having sex toys, collars, chains, whips, or any specialized equipment used on her body. Not ball gags. Not nipple clamps. Her reason was simple: she knew she would not feel comfortable if Rafah used those things on her.
And Rafah accepted every condition without trying to cross even the smallest line.
Their honest conversations every time they had sex helped Petra understand Rafah's desires and preferences more deeply. Apart from loving control and being fascinated by the moments when Petra was the one begging out loud, Rafah had another kink Petra had only recently discovered.
She liked drawing Petra's body...
Naked, before they began making love.
It was a scorching kind of artistic desire.
And Petra was willing to become Rafah's masterpiece.
Just like now...
Petra was reclining on the bed, dressed in a white lace robe so sheer it revealed almost every curve of her body. Her breasts were especially visible beneath the thin fabric. The only thing on her body that offered even the slightest cover was a pair of opaque white lace panties hiding the most sensitive part of her. It was the kind of nightwear that made no sense as sleepwear, because no one could possibly put it on and expect to actually sleep.
Both of Petra's wrists were bound with white rope and secured to the headboard. The knots were not tight enough to hurt, but they were firm enough to remind her that she had no control here. She did not even have the right to lift her hands and cover her half-naked body.
A white lace blindfold covered her eyes, cutting off her sight completely and leaving the world around her in total darkness. Petra could only rely on sound, scent, and touch. Yet in that darkness, every one of her senses sharpened to its limit.
The sound of pencil against paper seemed as loud as the pounding of her heart. Petra felt as if Rafah were invading her with her gaze, licking over every inch of her body with her eyes as she recorded every detail of Petra onto the page. The heated image of her lover watching her like that made Petra's body tremble with arousal.
The more she thought about it, the more she seemed to drive herself into deeper need.
Her desperate craving for Rafah's touch made the wet heat between Petra's thighs clench again and again, beyond her control.
Rafah was just as affected. She could feel Petra's desire, and she wanted Petra so badly it almost hurt.
And yet Rafah still pretended to be calm, leisurely moving the pencil across the paper between slow sips of exquisite wine, even though the sensitive center of her own body was soaked and pulsing with the desire she kept holding back.
Dressed in a black slip nightgown with a smooth satin robe draped over it, Rafah slowly shifted her crossed legs. She was in no hurry. She let time crawl by as if she were deliberately tormenting her bound and blindfolded lover, leaving Petra restless inside the darkness and her own obscene imagination while Rafah sat at the foot of the bed, capturing every detail of the drawing until the emotion on the page was complete.
Only then did Rafah set down the tools in her hand and walk toward the bed. She sank down beside Petra and traced her fingertips lightly over one smooth, pale thigh, slowly moving higher until she reached the thin white lace panties that were now soaked through with Petra's arousal, the evidence of her desire impossible to hide.
"What's this? All you did was lie there and let me draw you, and you're already this worked up?"
"Then swear to me, Khun Rafah, that you were only drawing me and didn't want to fuck me."
Petra's voice was full of teasing, seductive defiance, and Rafah adored that stubborn little attitude far too much.
In only a few nights together on this island, Petra had learned how to push back against her with astonishing speed. Rafah moved in, advancing until she was close to the headboard, her warm breath brushing Petra's cheek. She used one hand to tilt Petra's chin up, then dragged her fingers along Petra's beautiful face, down to the center of her chest, before finally slipping her hand inside the robe to cup the soft fullness there and squeeze with rough indulgence, paying no attention to the way Petra writhed under the sensation.
"Who said I wanted to fuck you..." Rafah whispered hoarsely beside her ear. "I want to drink wine from your body."
The moment those words left her mouth, the dark red liquid in the glass, deep as rose petals, was poured over the full curve of Petra's breasts. The sharp coldness streamed down her pale skin, wetting her all the way to her flat stomach.
The sweet scent of red wine mingled with the scent of Petra's overheated body, feeding the heat in the room until it blazed. Rafah yanked Petra's white robe open without mercy, then bent down and swept her hot tongue over the smooth skin, tasting the wine with hungry pleasure.
Her rough tongue dragged again and again along the paths the wine had left behind, while both hands kneaded Petra's breasts hard enough to make the soft flesh spill between her fingers. Rafah squeezed and rubbed her lover's pretty nipples obscenely, then lowered her mouth to suck and bite until wet sounds filled the room.
"Ah... mm..."
Petra moaned hoarsely, her body twisting on instinct. But all she could do was hook her legs tightly around Rafah's waist. Her bound wrists and blinded eyes became proof of her status as the one being completely controlled.
At last, Petra gave in to the desire buried deep inside her. She surrendered and begged in a trembling, breathless voice, overwhelmed by what was rising through her body.
"I can't take it anymore... Khun Rafah, please. Just take me already."
Rafah's eyes gleamed like those of someone savoring victory. But a victor did not have to care about the pleas of the person beneath her power. No matter how much Petra begged, she had no right to order Rafah now.
"Do you think you get to give me orders, Petra?"
As punishment, Rafah twisted and rubbed one pretty nipple hard enough to make Petra jolt.
"Ah! ...Khun Rafah... I'm sorry. I wasn't ordering you. I was just begging..." Petra's voice broke under the pleasure.
"You don't have the right to beg until I allow it." Rafah's voice was dark as she pressed her hand down harder.
"Mmm... I'm sorry, Khun Rafah. I give in..."
Petra always learned quickly. She played the role of the one under control so perfectly, and it satisfied Rafah beyond measure.
"Good girl..." Rafah whispered beside her ear. "Since you're being so good, I'll reward you..."
Rafah removed the blindfold, letting Petra see the world again. Then she slowly loosened the rope around Petra's right wrist, while keeping her left hand tied to the headboard as before.
The half-freedom Petra had been given made her look at Rafah in confusion.
Rafah pointed at Petra's freed right hand and gave her order in a voice full of authority.
"Touch yourself... and moan my name... slowly."
At the firm command, Rafah stepped back to the foot of the bed. She lifted her wineglass and took a slow sip, her sharp gaze fixed on Petra's naked body without looking away, as if she were admiring a living masterpiece.
Petra's heart immediately began to pound.
They had had sex several times by now, but Rafah had never ordered her to do this in front of her before. Embarrassment tangled with arousal until heat rushed across Petra's face. Suddenly, an image from the past overlapped with the present, the first night she had secretly watched Rafah with Naphatsorn.
But today, Petra was the one being watched.
Her trembling right hand slowly slid down her flat stomach to the soft flesh between her thighs. Her slender fingers pushed aside the white lace panties soaked tight against her skin and touched the slickness overflowing there from sheer desire. She rubbed her clit slowly with her middle finger, her lips parting as she moaned her lover's name on command.
"Khun Rafah... ah..."
Rafah watched her with satisfaction as she sipped her wine.
Petra rolled her hips into the pressure of her own fingers, imagining that touch belonged to Rafah, and she did not hesitate to let out breathy moans to please the woman watching her.
"Ah... right there... Khun Rafah, you're so good at this..."
Her rushed breathing mingled with sweet moans. Petra quickened the rhythm of her fingers until she was close to the edge. But in that very second, Rafah caught her wrist, stopping her sharply. Petra opened her eyes and looked up in confusion.
Rafah did not waste a second. She used both hands to pull the tiny, troublesome panties away from Petra's legs, then quickly slid two long fingers into Petra's soaked heat at once.
"Ah...! Khun Rafah...!"
Petra cried out, her whole body jerking.
Rafah did not stop there. She moved her fingers in and out of Petra's body with rough intensity. The wet sounds of friction mixed with Petra's breathless moans, filling the entire room.
Rafah lowered her head and kissed beside Petra's ear, then whispered in a hoarse voice while her wrist kept moving without pause.
"...Do you like it like this?"
"Mmm... Khun Rafah... it's... ah!"
Petra trembled all over. Her free hand clawed at the bedsheet, twisting it in her grip as she tried to release the overwhelming sensation. Her sweet, shaking moans competed with the filthy sounds of Rafah's fingers driving hard into her again and again without mercy.
And in that moment, Petra screamed at the top of her lungs.
The tension inside her broke loose, her body going rigid as wave after wave of release tore through her.
Rafah slowly eased the force of her hand. Then she leaned down and kissed Petra's sweat-damp temple soothingly while untying the rope that bound her remaining wrist.
Petra lay there, breathing hard as if she had been running all night. Her beautiful eyes were still blurred from the pleasure that had just ended.
But while she was lying there, breathless and drained, Rafah got off the bed and rose to her full height.
Rafah stood naked in the dim light, elegant as a statue of a goddess.
She lifted one finger and crooked it lightly at Petra.
"Get down on the floor."
Petra froze. Her heart jolted. Excitement surged up inside her again because she could not guess what Rafah was about to do. Slowly, she moved off the bed. Her heart was beating so hard it almost hurt. The moment her feet touched the cold floor, Rafah gave the next order.
"Kneel."
"Then crawl to me."
Petra obeyed without resistance. She crawled slowly toward Rafah and stopped between her long, beautiful legs.
Rafah looked down at her, her gaze filled with power. The arrogance of the one in control radiated from her so strongly that Petra could feel it from below. Rafah reached down and lightly touched the back of Petra's neck.
"Use your mouth... and make me feel good."
Petra did not answer. She only lifted her eyes to meet her lover's gaze, then obeyed the command with complete willingness.
This was the first time she would use her lips on Rafah.
Rafah placed her hand on Petra's head, calmly controlling the rhythm of Petra's movements. Every guiding pressure from Rafah's palm made it clear who held the power tonight.
"Good girl..." Rafah's voice was hoarse. "Don't stop... not until I tell you to."
Petra moved her mouth and tongue according to Rafah's guidance. She could feel Rafah's body responding above her. Rafah's breathing began to grow heavier and faster, and to Petra, that was the most arousing thing of all.
She focused completely on pleasuring her lover as well as she could. And the moment Rafah fisted her hair and forced Petra's face hard against her wet heat with everything she had, Petra knew at once.
Rafah had reached the edge.
And then she crossed it, reaching the peak of her desire for the night.
When everything finally settled, the pressure on Petra's head loosened. Petra lifted her face, her lips glossy with Rafah's release. Her beautiful face was flushed. She nuzzled her cheek into Rafah's palm with soft, needy devotion, her dazed eyes gazing up at Rafah as if she were under a spell.
Rafah held her gaze in silence for a moment. Her thumb slowly brushed over Petra's lips, carefully wiping away the wet trace at the corner of her lover's mouth.
Then Rafah's full, lovely lips curved into a smile.
It was a smile only Petra was allowed to see.
"You did so well, my good girl."
...
The digital clock on the bedside table read 3:35 a.m.
Beneath the warmth of the thick duvet, the naked bodies of the two women were still tangled tightly together. The scent of lovemaking and the lingering heat of the passion that had just ended still hung in the air. Exhaustion had pulled them both into sleep the moment the storm of desire had settled.
But suddenly, Rafah began to move.
She carefully slipped out of bed, as if afraid of waking her lover, who was still sleeping peacefully after everything they had done. Rafah picked up her phone and robe, then walked out to the living room.
The light from her smartphone flashed in the darkness. Rafah's sharp face was tense as she unlocked the screen. Her slender finger tapped into the chat app and scrolled for the name of a group that had always been set to mute.
The group name appeared as nothing more than a short abbreviation.
"B.E. No.4"
The moment she entered the group, hundreds of unread messages and photos flooded the screen.
They were not ordinary conversations.
They were photos of beautiful women, one after another, as if the members of the group had been sending them in for people to look at, or to choose from.
Rafah swept her eyes over those images with an empty gaze. Her finger tapped into the settings menu before she chose the button that said "Leave group" without hesitation.
But the moment she left the group, a private message from someone popped up almost instantly.
The name on the notification made Rafah's brows draw together.
.
Pimphisa: Why did you leave the group, Rafah?
Pimphisa: What happened?
Pimphisa: Don't tell me... that rumor is true.
Pimphisa: You're really going to stop doing what you used to do on Black Eden over one bland little woman?
.
Rafah read the messages with cold eyes.
She did not reply. She deleted the chat at once, then placed the phone facedown on the glass table.
Rafah leaned back against the sofa, her gaze cutting through the darkness toward the bedroom door, where Petra was still asleep.
Her beautiful lips pressed into a hard line.
What had happened in Black Eden...
had to be buried with the past.
Petra would never find out what that place had once existed for.
Hojicha Writer
Twitter/X: @Hojicha_Writer
TikTok: @hojicha.writer